BCDx36HP Sentinel Software & Siren App Discussion

[LIScanner101]

I know it's a different animal but whenever I make ANY changes to my FreeSCAN files I always select "erase all settings" and re-upload the file to my scanner (BCT15X). It gives me a "clean slate" to work from.

 

[wise871]

I'm not seeing an option to configure Trunk Discovery additional information such as sites in the Sentinel Software. I tried it in the software first and I named it and made my settings. When I loaded it to the scanner it was still missing site information. So I created one on the scanner and downloaded it to Sentinel. Here I only get Name, Delay, Logging, Compare, etc. Will we get an option to setup the sites we want to log?

 

[Jay911]

Anytime you make changes to you files in the Sentinel software; add channels, remove channels you will need to select the "Erase Favorite Lists on Scanner" to write what you did on the PC to the scanner. If you do not then nothing changes on the scanner.

That's not true - if you write to the scanner with updated favorites lists without choosing to erase all FLs on the scanner, it will send them. However, as I said in my previous post, there may be situations where sending new favorites lists might mix things up.

One particular example I had was when my HP1 had five favorites like so:

Favorite 1 - "Local"
Favorite 2 - "Newfoundland"
Favorite 3 - "Florida"
Favorite 4 - "Texas"
Favorite 5 - "AFRRCS"

(The "Favorite #" part was actually represented by their long filenames, but the point is still made. Bear with me.)

I read in the data, made my changes in Sentinel, which included removing the Florida and Texas favorites lists, and then doing a re-sort so that it went like this:

Favorite 1 - "Local"
Favorite 2 - "AFRRCS"
Favorite 3 - "Newfoundland"

When I wrote that back to the scanner, the favorites list files 1, 2, and 3 were written, but somehow, the indexing file that tells the HP1 which one is which, was not. So, the index file still thought it was like the first list, above. Channels appeared to be in one favorites list but were really in another. Furthermore, once I got the index file issue sorted, I now had two AFRRCS lists (one in position 2, as it should be, and the older one in position 5, along with the older Texas list in position 4 - the files weren't removed, just their entries in the index file).

So, while your sentiment (to do an "erase all favorites" command every time you make a change) is justified, as otherwise you can get some really wonky stuff going on, it's not mandatory.

 

[Jay911]

I'm not seeing an option to configure Trunk Discovery additional information such as sites in the Sentinel Software. I tried it in the software first and I named it and made my settings. When I loaded it to the scanner it was still missing site information. So I created one on the scanner and downloaded it to Sentinel. Here I only get Name, Delay, Logging, Compare, etc. Will we get an option to setup the sites we want to log?

I forget if you have/had an HP1 or not. That's been how Trunking Discovery has been set up in the HP1 as well. You can't select the system (and/or site) in Sentinel; you have to do that part in the radio itself. You can only choose one site to "discover", and to boot, it has to be in range and in your service tags. For example if I don't have "Business" or "Security" turned on, I can't do a discovery session on this system - plus it also has to be within the range settings (and the range is set very low on that site because it covers a small fairgrounds, but can be heard all over the city).

 

[wise871]

BCDx36HP Sentinel Software & Siren App Discussion

Thanks Jay

 

[LAflyer]

Thanks Gents.

I'll give it a shot by erasing FL list on scanner as part of each write event and see how that goes.

I was tempted to do a factory reset also, but I'll give the FL erase a try first.

 

[RF23]

I think it would be helpful if the instructions for Sentinel gave examples of when we should use "erase Favorites" when we download data to the scanner. Did I miss them somewhere?

In Sentinel not 30 minutes ago I deleted three FLs and added one FL from my 436HP. I sent this to the HP-1 and it added the new FL but did NOT delete the three old FLs.

I went into "manage favorites" in the HP-1 and it still thought the three old FLs were there, so, I repeated my download to the HP-1 but this time I checked the box "erase favorites" and it seems to have worked.

 

[dwinslow]

I had the same situation and found that by clearing the FL when uploading new info to the scanner it cured the problem.

 

[MesquiteWx]

Wondering if there is any chance some screenshots of the App could at least be posted so we can at least get a preview of what it may look like and what we're working with. I am ok with waiting. They still have to the end of next month anyways so I am sure they are at least to the point where screenshots could be shared.

 

[gonzalu]

Wondering if there is any chance some screenshots of the App could at least be posted so we can at least get a preview of what it may look like and what we're working with. I am ok with waiting. They still have to the end of next month anyways so I am sure they are at least to the point where screenshots could be shared.

It looks like the app will be a dead ringer for an HP-1 screen so go look at videos of that to get a feeling of what it will look like.

 

[rnwjr]

BCDx36HP Sentinel Software & Siren App Discussion

I'm having an issue with our new trunked P25 phase II systems in Berks County, PA. When I upload the favorite it says "nothing to scan" and then when I hit hold it seems to scan the hold. Also if I don't have the Unit ID pre programmed it won't scan as well. Any thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Donald Roberts]

Does anyone know when you update the master frequencies do your favorites get updated to?

 

[UPMan]

They do not.

 

[tomtefe]

This may been asked and answered before, but after you create a favorites list and save it then modify it, can you do a "save as" function and give it a different file name?

Thanks for any help

 

[RF23]

Does anyone know when you update the master frequencies do your favorites get updated to?

This is something that would definitely be nice IF it could be done, but I cannot think of how this could be done automatically.

We pick from the master database what is within range (the computer knowing where you are could know this too) but we then pick what we want to listen to and there is the first big problem. Of the new frequencies that we can pickup which ones do we want to listen too? Perhaps it could dump all new frequencies (within range) that are in the same "Service Type(s)" found in our Favorites and then we could delete the ones we do not want.

But under NO circumstances would I want any of my descriptions (names) and groupings of freqs. (to help me remember and scanning speed) messed with (Big Problem number 2).

At present, I go the areas of the RR Database that I can receive and the new listings are highlighted in yellow.

Can anyone think of a way to automatically update our Favorites without affecting what we have already done in our Favorites?

 

[LiquidPandora]

They do not.

Will they ever? it seems like it would be one of the very most important things that software could do for the user....

 

[ColonelMike]

This is something that would definitely be nice IF it could be done, but I cannot think of how this could be done automatically.

We pick from the master database what is within range (the computer knowing where you are could know this too) but we then pick what we want to listen to and there is the first big problem. Of the new frequencies that we can pickup which ones do we want to listen too? Perhaps it could dump all new frequencies (within range) that are in the same "Service Type(s)" found in our Favorites and then we could delete the ones we do not want.

But under NO circumstances would I want any of my descriptions (names) and groupings of freqs. (to help me remember and scanning speed) messed with (Big Problem number 2).

At present, I go the areas of the RR Database that I can receive and the new listings are highlighted in yellow.

Can anyone think of a way to automatically update our Favorites without affecting what we have already done in our Favorites?

IF RR could make each frequency and site have a unique identifiable number and IF Uniden and others could reference this number in their software to each unique item, they could tie them all together.

So item 3874261 in the RR database is "Mytown PD Operations" 155.100 then when I add it to my favorites list and change the name of it to "PD Ops " it would keep that unique ID to it. Then when the database gets updated and they change the frequency to 155.050, the Uniden software could look and see 3874261 has changed to a different frequency, it could either alert you to change it or change it automatically in your database and your favorites list.

BUT, I have the feeling something to make this work would be very time consuming and very expensive.

My favorite workaround is to add all of your favorites to your favorites on RR. Any time one of your favorites is updated, it will show up in green or tan letting you know there is an update. Then just look to see what it is.

 

[Jay911]

So item 3874261 in the RR database is "Mytown PD Operations" 155.100 then when I add it to my favorites list and change the name of it to "PD Ops " it would keep that unique ID to it. Then when the database gets updated and they change the frequency to 155.050, the Uniden software could look and see 3874261 has changed to a different frequency, it could either alert you to change it or change it automatically in your database and your favorites list.

Herein lies the problem: some of us don't want our custom settings to be changed.

For example - RR has a policy that decides what should appear in the "Alpha Tag" field for a given channel. In many cases, that policy goes counter to what the "official" tag is for that channel. Those of us using scanners in official or quasi-official uses have a need to have those tags listed "properly". So if I change, in a favorites list, "FireDisTwn" to "C1 TOWN FIRE TALK", and a week later, Sentinel helpfully overwrites that with the RRDB entry "FireDisTwn" again, it's just creating headaches for me.

Having said that... to the best of my knowledge, all data elements in the RRDB do have unique identifiers. I know they do as far down as the sub-category level within a county/agency. It would make sense in a database perspective for them to have unique IDs all the way down to each data entry.

 

[detroit780]

Weekly Updates

Not to mention all the LED colors you assign to each TG in the system will be erased.

In the GRE EZ-Scan software for the PSR-800 you can copy the weekly library update then you need to as an example import the MPSCS system from the new library into your stored V folder when the import is complete it tells you say 4 new TG's Then you make sure no scanlist is checked for the import and make sure your setting are selected to not overwrite ant stored data. Import that data into your v folder and then look for 4 new TGs not assigned to a scanlist. You can then modify your names and backlight on and LED colors.

I haven't tried anything like this in Sentinel yet. If you append a system over a system already in your favorite list does it just not import? Does it overwrite all? Or is it smart enough to only write the new files?

Herein lies the problem: some of us don't want our custom settings to be changed.

For example - RR has a policy that decides what should appear in the "Alpha Tag" field for a given channel. In many cases, that policy goes counter to what the "official" tag is for that channel. Those of us using scanners in official or quasi-official uses have a need to have those tags listed "properly". So if I change, in a favorites list, "FireDisTwn" to "C1 TOWN FIRE TALK", and a week later, Sentinel helpfully overwrites that with the RRDB entry "FireDisTwn" again, it's just creating headaches for me.

Having said that... to the best of my knowledge, all data elements in the RRDB do have unique identifiers. I know they do as far down as the sub-category level within a county/agency. It would make sense in a database perspective for them to have unique IDs all the way down to each data entry.

 

[RF23]

HP-1 to x36HP using .hpe files Warning

I originally moved my HP-1 FLs to my 436HP and then I worked on optimizing them with the 436HP Sentinel. When enough changes were made I used the .hpe export/import method to move them back to the HP-1. I want both scanners to have the same programming as much as is possible and all seemed fine.

Unfortunately, I forget which Sentinel I was in and spend about 4 hours making big changes. I then did the normal export/import BUT from the HP-1 to the 436HP.

Can you guess what I no longer have in my 436HP Sentinel or the 436 scanner?

ALL of my Quick Keys, Alert lights, etc., anything that the 436HP has the HP-1 does not!

Not really an equal two street using the .hpe files but I knew that then but I was also watching BR StarTrek and did not stop to think.